Summer Heat
by Immac
Summary: Beckett, Alexis, and the little Castle babies are off for a week at the beach to give Castle time to write. It seems like an ordinary vacation until the kids are wrapped up in a surprising murder on the beach... as suspects! Can they clear their names and find the real killer? Rated T for sexual innuendo and violence.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Some of you may remember this story from earlier this year. This is a rewrite of what little I had because I can't find the rest and I like the idea of little Castle babies. So, this is taking place 7 years after the events of 'Always' and is not mine. Because if I were Andrew Marlowe, there'd already be canon Castle babies. - Immac**_

* * *

Kate Beckett rested her hand on her pregnant stomach as she parked the car outside of the Castle home in the Hamptons. It had been so long since she'd been back, or if it wasn't, it felt like it. It seemed like an eternity had passed since she had stood, naked, by Richard's pool, waiting for him to ravish her, and so much had happened since. The wedding, the honeymoon, the three children, the fourth on the way.

With Kate on maternity leave and their oldest child out of school for the summer, she decided to take them for a week in the Hamptons to give Rick time to write. Along with Alexis, the kids were ready for a week of fun at the pool and on the beach, and, to be honest, so was Kate.

Alexis had already swiftly left the car, unbuckling the kids from their seats before Kate even registered what was going on. Before she had even exited the vehicle, Rick and Kate's oldest child, Jo, was out and asking a million questions. The six year old was already the miniature version of her mother, with dark brown curls and bright blue eyes. She was sarcastic and adventurous, frequently in trouble, and she was always ready to explain everything to everyone, whether they wanted to know or not.

If Jo was the mini Beckett, their middle child, Edgar, was the mini Castle. He was already the spitting image of his father, and he wanted to be a writer just like him, too. Edgar carried around a spiral-bound reporter's cut notebook at all times, and would get help from his dad to type up the stories he'd come up with about himself and his family. Alexis got him out of the car second, and the 5 year old began noting the details of the setting immediately.

Kate had Alexis take the kids to get the luggage while she unbuckled their youngest from her seat. Aggie, a quiet 2 year old, was the only one out of the "Caskett Babies" (as Ryan and Esposito dubbed them) to inherit her grandmother's red curls and her mother's hazel eyes. Unlike her siblings, she wasn't outspoken and she didn't write, and she very seldom communicated at all. Though worried, Rick and Kate were assured there was nothing wrong with her. She was a very good child, very happy most of the time, and they decided she just preferred to observe.

Aggie clung to her mother's chest as Kate pulled her out. She prodded the baby bump, waving to it.

"Baby says hi to you, too, Ag," Kate said, kissing her daughter. Aggie grinned, then squirmed until she was placed on the ground. She ran to her brother and sisters, little red pigtails flying behind her.

Alexis was a lifesaver, Kate decided. Had the eldest Castle child not come along, it would have taken forever to get everything and everyone out of the car. But Alexis had already loaded up Edgar and Jo with their bags and Aggie with her little backpack, and she had her own laptop bag and duffel bag slung over a shoulder, with Kate's bag in the opposite hand. That left Kate with grabbing Aggie's diaper bag and her laptop case, and closing the car.

"Wow, Alexis," Kate said with a chuckle. "You're really good at this."

"I've had lots of experience. Dad has a tendency to over-pack," Alexis shrugged, smiling.

"I've noticed," she replied, remembering how he brought enough clothes for a month to their first weekend trip here, and the same amount to their honeymoon. "Jo, honey, will you take the key and open the door for your older sister?"

Jo nodded, her curly ponytail bobbing up and down as she took the keys from Alexis and ran to the stairs, Edgar and Aggie in tow.

"Help Aggie up the stairs!" their mom called after them. Alexis chuckled as they watched the kids go off. Kate placed her hand on her stomach and grimaced.

"Baby okay?" Alexis asked as they followed the children to the door. "You aren't going into labor, are you?"

"No. It's just kicking," she replied. "Trust me, after three kids, I know what labor feels like. I'm fine."

* * *

No matter how often she visited the Castle Hampton home, Kate was always astounded by its beauty. It hadn't changed very much since her first trip. There were minor differences, like pictures of the Castle family in its various stages (Rick, Martha, and Alexis; Rick and Kate; Rick and pregnant Kate; Rick, Martha, Alexis, Kate, and Jo; so on and so forth), and the addition of every Nikki Heat book thus far in various locations, but it was still charming and classy like she had found it to be from her first day. Of course, at the moment, half of her children's belongings were sitting at the bottom of the stairs, with their owners nowhere to be seen. As Alexis scampered up the stairs, Kate rubbed her temples.

"Johanna Martha Castle!" she yelled up the stairs. There was some scampering and shifting, but soon her daughter's head appeared at the top. "Alexis told you to take these upstairs. Come get them."

"We were wanting to go to the beach, mama," Jo pouted.

"We'll all go down to the beach, Joey, but you three need to put your bags away like Alexis told you to," her mother replied, crossing her arms. Jo sighed dramatically and ran down the stairs. As she grabbed the duffels, Kate kissed her head. "What do you say to your older sister?" she asked as Alexis walked past the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, Alexis!" Jo called up. Alexis smiled and accepted the apology, and the child turned back to her mother. "Can I go get ready for the beach now?"

"Yes," Kate rolled her eyes. "Tell your brother to get ready, too, and I'll be up to help Aggie in a minute."

"Okay!" Jo turned back towards the stairs. "Edgar, get the floaties!"

* * *

Jo and Edgar frolicked in the waves, splashing and pretending to be sharks, while Alexis staid on the shore with Aggie, building a sandcastle over Kate's stomach. Hardly anyone was on the beach, which was unusual considering it was the first week of June. The surf was good enough for boogie-boards to be brought out from storage, but not bad enough where anyone was worried about someone getting hurt or drowning. It truly was the perfect time to go to the beach.

"Guys, come back in and get sunscreen," Kate called out to Jo and Edgar. "Aggie, honey, can you please clean this off of me?"

Aggie and Alexis had long since given up on making an intricate castle over Kate's baby bump, and had instead just built a giant mountain of sand. It now left her incapable of getting up. Grinning, Alexis swatted the sand away while Aggie drenched the mountain with her full sand bucket of water.

"Mama, you're all wet!" Edgar laughed as he and his sister ran in from the water, dragging boogie-boards behind them.

"So are you, little writer-monkey," she laughed, using her son for stability as she sat up. "Are you four ready for dinner yet?"

"No!" the younger ones said in unison. Or, rather, Jo and Edgar said in unison, while Aggie shook her head no and pouted. Alexis just arched an eyebrow and smirked, looking an awful lot like her father in that moment.

"Alexis?" Kate turned to the eldest.

"I'm fine. If they want to keep playing, I'll hang out with them so you can get dinner ready," she offered.

"You don't have to watch them. You can relax and they can go get cleaned up."

"Please mama? Can't we play a little longer?" Jo pouted, her blue Castle eyes taking the shape of her mother's eyes whenever they wanted something. These were the same eyes Kate made in interrogations, just with a different coloration, and everyone knew it.

"I'm fine with hanging out on the beach. I like it out here, and I'll make sure they get hydration and sunscreen," Alexis assured her stepmother. "Go ahead in. You can shower and call dad, and do whatever you want, and we'll be in by 7:30. If you want me to, I can order pizza, too."

"I'll get dinner ready, then," Kate said, accepting help from her children as she stood to her feet. "You three, listen to your sister. Usual pizza toppings?"

"Yes, please!" Jo, Edgar, and Alexis said in unison, with Aggie nodding beside them, grinning widely and showing off her tiny square teeth.

"So be it," Kate smiled. She bent down to kiss each of them on the head. "I love you."

* * *

Alexis perched on the beach, reading from the latest Nikki Heat book. The sun was going down, and the kids were all playing in the shallow water, trying to find shells and shark teeth. It was perfectly serene, and she loved it. Life had been so hectic as of late, and the peacefulness was a welcome change. Unfortunately, that all changed when a Frisbee struck her in the head.

"Ouch!" she gasped, grasping at her forehead. The disc had definitely left a knot, but she felt no blood. The kids looked up in surprise, running back up the sand to check on her.

"Alexis! Are you okay?" Edgar asked.

"Yeah," she said, grasping the red Frisbee out of the sand and examining it. "Someone threw this."

"Hey, sorry about that," they heard from behind them. All four Castles turned to see a young man, around Alexis's age. His dark hair was wet and his bangs clung to his forehead, his green eyes bright even in the setting sun. The young man blinked in confusion. "Alexis Castle?"

"Noah?" Alexis responded, startled. "Noah Winchester?"

"Who's he?" Jo deadpanned, pointing.

"Jo, be polite. Don't point," Alexis chastised. "This is Noah. When I came here when I was your age, he was my best friend. We used to play together all summer." She turned to Noah. "I thought your parents sold your place here."

"They did, but my little brother and one of his friends and I are down here for the week, renting a place. Parents are trying to finalize a divorce, and Lyle was really messed up about it, you know?" Noah explained. He squatted to face the Caskett babies. "I have a little brother who's your age. He and his friend are playing in the water. Would you like to meet them?"

"Alexis, can we?" Edgar turned excitedly.

"It's getting kind of late," Alexis shrugged. "I promised we'd be in soon."

"Noah, can you come eat dinner with us?" Jo asked, turning to him. She had wide eyes, hopeful eyes, and it was impossible to turn that face down.

"Uh," Noah stammered, looking at Alexis awkwardly.

"You guys ask and text me what she says, and I'll walk with Noah to get his brother, okay?" Alexis decided. Jo and Edgar were instantly out of the sand and racing each other back to the house, Aggie a few steps behind.

"You look good," Noah said, offering a hand for her to use to stand up. She gathered her towel and book, as well as the toys, towels, and shoes the kids had left behind, and turned back to him.

"Thanks," she smiled. "You look good, too. I can't believe we ran into each other."

"Were they your kids?" he asked as they started up the beach. She laughed and struggled to get out the 'no' necessary to answer his question.

"They're my little brother and sisters," she explained. "My dad remarried again."

"It's not one of those two-year marriages like he had when we were kids, is it?" Noah asked.

"Not this time, I don't think. He and Kate are really in love, and they've already had three kids with a fourth on the way," Alexis smiled. "They have their seventh anniversary next spring."

"That's cute. What about you? Any man in your life?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder lightly. "What? It's a valid question. You've gotta be in your twenties, right? Lots of girls have settled down by that age."

"I'm twenty six and too busy to 'settle down,'" Alexis shrugged. "I'm studying for a doctorate in psychology."

"So no boyfriend?"

"Why do you keep asking?"

"Just curious."

"No. No boyfriend. What about you? Any girls lining up at the prospect of having _the_ Noah Winchester's babies?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nah, my last girlfriend just stole my money and helped contribute to my parents' downfall as a married couple," he replied nonchalantly. "Not that I've been jaded by it, or anything."

"Well that's good to know," she giggled. "What about college. How did that go for you?"

"I'm trying to get teaching credentials so I can teach high school English," he shrugged.

"My dad would like that," she nodded.

"Mine doesn't. I'm a Winchester. We're doctors and lawyers and moguls and socialites. Not teachers," Noah sighed. "Apparently, I should want something more out of life than to teach kids the thing that I love."

"Yikes, that seems really-" Alexis started, but they were interrupted by two boys running up and attacking Noah. She watched, giggling as the two wrestled the Frisbee away.

"Whoa, calm down!" Noah laughed, pushing the children off of him. The kids laughed, standing back. One looked just like Noah, with dark brown hair and sparkling eyes. The other was taller, blonder, and looked more mischievous. "Alexis, this is Lyle, my brother, and his friend Matthew," Noah gestured to the mini-Noah first, and the blonde second. "Guys, this is Alexis. She's an old friend of mine."

"You're pretty!" the blonde one exclaimed. Alexis blushed.

"Her family invited us to come eat at their house tonight. Grab your stuff so we can go, okay?" Noah continued.

Alexis felt her cell phone vibrate from within the beach bag and pulled it out, revealing a text from Kate. **Tell your friends it's okay for them to come over.**

"I just got the okay from Kate," she said to Noah as he helped Lyle and Matthew fasten the straps on their sandals. She watched, feeling kind of useless as they loaded all of their stuff into their own bag and dried off and pulled on t-shirts and everything. By the time they were ready to go, the sun was almost done inching down the horizon and the sky was fading from orange to a pinky-purple. They hiked back up the sand towards the Castle home, while Lyle and Matthew explained to Alexis how they had played they were pirates, storming the beaches and stealing cookies. Even though she knew it was embarrassing for Noah to listen as they explained how he was a pirate, too, Alexis couldn't help but smile because she knew that Jo and Edgar would relay similar stories over dinner.

So she just grabbed his hand and squeezed comfortingly.

* * *

_**A/N: Thoughts? How do you like the Caskett Babies? Sound off in the reviews, and I'll work on the next chapter where Mama Beckett meets Noah. And, you know, murder or something. :) - Immac**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Castle isn't mine. Le sigh. But, can I just say, I love all of your reviews and comments and the like. I can't believe how many people read this in the 24 hours it's been up. It makes me so... :O PEOPLE LIKE IT! So, thanks! :) - Immac**_

* * *

Alexis had no idea why she was so nervous about Kate meeting Noah. She shouldn't be. He was just a friend, and Kate had always been cool about meeting friends, male or not. It wasn't like she was some teenager, bringing home a date for mom and dad to approve of. And Noah wasn't even a date. Just an old friend she'd reconnected with while hanging out on the beach.

So why was it that every time Noah spoke, she was wondering what her stepmother was thinking of? Did Kate approve?

"Alexis pretended to be a sea turtle with me!" Jo told her mother. "She put me on her shoulders and swam in the water and it was really cool! I had my goggles and everything, so whenever I opened my eyes, I could see and there were little fishes-or is it fish? I don't know-but they were, like, right there! One swam past my nose, mama!"

"Wow, Joey," Kate smiled. "Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun."

"Matthew and I caught these little crabs in the sand," Lyle said eagerly. "One of them bit me, and it hurt a lot. But it's okay, now. It stopped bleeding, see?" He held up his pointer finger, where there was a Band-Aid around the top. It had the ninja turtles on it. Naturally, as kids are, Jo and Edgar were enthralled and proceeded to show off their own bumps and cuts and Band-Aids from various adventures.

"Thank you again for letting us eat here, Mrs. Castle," Noah said in an attempt to steer the conversation away from boo-boos. "How's Mr. Castle, by the way?"

"He's the same as always," Kate smiled. "Nine year old on a sugar rush. But it's fun, and I like having him in my life. I'm sorry, I don't think you ever mentioned how you and Alexis know each other."

"When we were little, my parents had the house down the beach from here. We always saw each other when we were little, and there weren't that many other 8 year olds on a beach like this one. My dad and Mr. Castle played poker together, and my mom went to see plays with Ms. Rodgers," he explained politely. Kate nodded. "But around the time I turned 14, my parents sold our house down here. They've been more preoccupied with wealth and status in the Upper East Side than paying attention to me and Lyle."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kate frowned.

"It's fine. We have each other, and our parents do love us, but they're… well, they get busy," Noah shrugged calmly.

"You're welcome here anytime, you know," she said, standing and grabbing a napkin, cleaning off Aggie's face. The two year old resisted, but the smears of grease were eventually cleaned off.

"We ought to be heading back to our side of the beach. It's getting late, and these two have to be in bed by 9:00 or my mom will kill me," Noah said, standing. "Thanks so much for dinner, Mrs. Castle. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Can you play on the beach with us tomorrow?" Jo asked immediately. Noah chuckled as Matthew and Lyle hopped out of their chairs and pushed them back in.

"Of course. We'll come hunt you down tomorrow morning, okay, Miss Jo?" Noah said with a smile.

"Pinky promise?" Jo asked skeptically, holding out her littlest finger. As sacredly as if he were signing some important deed, Noah linked his pinky with hers and squeezed reassuringly.

"Would I lie to you?" he asked.

"Bye Jo! Bye Edgar! Bye Aggie!" Lyle called as Noah steered them towards the door. "Bye Alexis! Bye Mrs. Castle!"

"Bye, Alexis," Noah said, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. She tried not to blush, but could feel her face grow as red as her hair. "Come on, guys," he said, suddenly turning back to the kids and steering them towards the back door.

"Alexis, do you like Noah?" Jo asked once the door closed behind them. "Do you _like him_ like him? Are you going to marry him? Can I be your maid of honor?"

"Whoa, slow down, Joey," Alexis chuckled nervously. "I'm not marrying anyone any time soon."

"But he _likes you_ likes you," Jo protested. "I can tell. He's got it in his eyes."

"I'll bet," Alexis said, sticking her tongue out.

"Come on, kids, it's getting late. We'll call daddy and let him say goodnight, but then it's bedtime," Kate said, jumping in to save her stepdaughter from any more questions, much to Alexis' gratitude. All three of the kids groaned, even Aggie. "Nope, don't whine. You already stayed up late playing and eating. I'm not going to let you stay up all night and sleep tomorrow."

"Daddy would've," Jo grumbled as she and Edgar started for the stairs.

"Not if daddy wanted to sleep in his own bed, he wouldn't," Kate chuckled. "Go on up and change to your pajamas. Alexis and I will be up in a minute with Aggie and we'll call daddy."

Edgar and Jo trudged up the stairs.

"He's cute," Kate noted as she scooped Aggie into her arms. "Your friend," she clarified. "Funny, too. Polite… good with kids… very charming."

"Oh, I, uh," Alexis stammered.

"He gets the mom seal of approval, in case you were wondering," she added with a chuckle. "Plus, Jo, Edgar, and Aggie seem to like him."

"Kate, he's just a friend," Alexis insisted.

"Uh huh. And your dad was just my friend for four years," Kate smiled coyly. "I'm not going to be all crazy, demanding you two hook up, but I do think he's a nice guy and would treat you right, should you ever decide to cross that line. Just letting you know."

"Whatever you say," Alexis grinned. She looked at Aggie, who had snuggled her chubby toddler cheek against her mother's shoulder. "Oh, someone looks sleepy."

"I'll bet," Kate smiled. "She was out playing all day. Normally, she gets a nap, but I guess she fell asleep in the car on the way here."

"Well, we wouldn't want her majesty here to fall asleep on your shoulder, would we? Let's get them to bed," Alexis suggested, taking the dozing toddler and slinging her onto her own shoulder, leaving Kate's arms free.

* * *

"And, just when all hope was lost, Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook burst into the room and stopped the nefarious Doctor Horrible from freezing all of the world!" Rick narrated from through the speaker of Kate's cell phone. "And while Nikki took apart the evil weapon so Doctor Horrible couldn't use it again, Jameson watched Roach put the bad man away so he wouldn't ever make anyone sad… or cold… ever again. The end."

"I liked that story, daddy," Jo said, clapping her hands together.

"I don't know… I think I like the one where Nikki and Rook go solve that crime on the _Serenity_ with Mr. Reynolds and his friends," Edgar chimed in.

"Both are excellent, if I do say so myself," Rick said superiorly, making his kids giggle, Alexis chuckle, and Kate smile.

"Story, daddy?" Aggie asked, clearly fed up that she couldn't just use facial expressions and hand gestures to communicate.

"You want another?" Rick asked, confused. She shook her head.

"She wants to know how the one you're working on is going," Kate translated. Aggie nodded. "Did Nikki Heat find the killer yet?"

"Yeah, daddy, did she?" Edgar asked.

"Well, she and Rook are discussing the case with Raley and Ochoa, and they're about to go look for a suspect at a TV station," he explained.

"Is Nikki going to be totally awesome?" Jo asked.

"It'll be completely shiny."

"I'll bet," Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we gotta get everyone in bed. Writer-boy, why don't you go talk to Alexis why I tuck in our little monkeys?"

"I thought I was Writer-man," he whined.

"When we get home next week, you can prove it, okay?" she asked, her innuendo going over the heads of the children and making her stepdaughter groan in embarrassment when Rick responded with an eager 'Okay!'

"Bye daddy!" Edgar and Jo exclaimed as Aggie waved to the phone.

"Aggie says bye, too," Kate said.

"Goodnight, Joey-Boey. Goodnight, Writer-Monkey. Goodnight, Silent But Deadly," Rick said, using nicknames for each child in turn.

"We need to talk about Ag's nickname, Rick," Kate said as she switched it off of speaker phone and handed it to Alexis. The eldest Castle child took the phone and sauntered off to her room while Kate snuggled all the kids into their beds.

Jo and Edgar fought over who got the top bunk as usual, so Kate started with Aggie, who was snuggling herself into her crib with her stuffed animals. At home, she didn't sleep with that many animals, or any at all, really, but whenever they left the big apple, she always became a little snuggle-bug. She would bring monkeys and dolls and teddy bears, and they were all in her bed, adjusted so that she could flop around and adjust herself throughout the night without getting harmed.

"Goodnight, Aggie," Kate said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. Aggie smiled, then looked at the baby bump and waved to it. "Baby says goodnight, too." The toddler pressed her fingers to her lips and pushed them through the bars and touched Kate's stomach with them.

Jo had decided on the bottom bunk for the night, so Kate took turns kissing either of them goodnight before they had a chance to change their minds. The two didn't normally share a room, except on vacations, and when they did, the arguments got a little more out of control than usual. Any opportunity she had at squashing their bickering, Kate took.

"Goodnight, Joey," she said, kissing Jo's forehead.

"Night, mama," the six year old replied.

"And goodnight, Edgar," she continued, kissing her son.

"G'night, mama," he murmured.

* * *

Kate was woken up at 7:00 AM the next morning by Edgar and Jo at the side of her bed, prodding her shoulders and whispering her name. She blinked. They never got up this early. Not willingly, at least.

"What's wrong? Is everyone okay?" she asked, yawning and sitting herself upright.

"Can we go out on the beach with Lyle and Matthew? Noah and Alexis will be there," Edgar asked.

"That's fine. Just leave Aggie in bed, okay? Don't wake her up," Kate nodded, rubbing her eyes.

They thanked her and scurried down the stairs, having dressed in their swimsuits already. The two took the pathway from the house to the pool and the pool to the beach, where Alexis, Noah, Lyle, and Matthew were waiting.

The four children immediately went for the water, while their siblings lounged on the shore, catching up and talking about high school and college and things that 6 year olds don't care about. They floated around, getting knocked around by the waves, and loved every second of it. But after a few hours of floating, and playing, and pretending to be various sea creatures (slash plunderers), it got a little boring. The children, tired, relaxed in the shallow water, letting the waves drench their legs while they dug in the mud.

"I'm gonna go see if Aggie's up," Jo said, getting out of the dirt and kicking clumps of mud onto her brother.

"Bye!" Lyle called after her.

"Do you like Jo?" Matthew asked. "Like, _like her_ like her?"

"What? No! 'Course not. I just think she's fun to play with," Lyle said, his face turning red. Edgar decided to be polite and pretend it was the sun.

"Good. She talks too much. Like, nobody cares about all of her baby dolls," Matthew laughed cruelly. Edgar frowned. Jo hadn't talked about any baby dolls, and, in fact, didn't own a single one, or even any Barbies. Aggie did, but not Jo.

"Jo plays with Batman action figures," Edgar said, his brows furrowing together.

"Cool!" Lyle said eagerly. "Did she bring any with her?"

"That's not the point," Matthew shook his head. "She just talks too much. It's annoying. Always 'my mama's a cop' and 'my daddy writes books.' Can't she just play?" Edgar and Lyle looked at each other. Sure, Jo had bragged a little about her parents and how awesome they were, but didn't most kids? Some girl at preschool told Edgar that her daddy made dresses for models in Paris. That didn't mean he didn't want to play with her. Well, he didn't, but that was because she didn't share the blocks.

"Jo likes to talk. My daddy says she's a…" Edgar frowned, trying to remember the word. "Chatterbox," he eventually thought of. "It means she likes to talk."

"Well, I guess someone has to be the kid who never shuts up. Every family has one, and Jo's yours. What about your little sister, Aggie? Why doesn't she talk?" Matthew continued. Every time he said something, Edgar felt more and more like hitting him, even though mama and daddy forbid hitting. Why did he have to be so mean to Jo and Aggie?

"She doesn't like to. She likes using her hands and nodding and mumbling and shrugging. I mean, she talks sometimes, but-" Edgar tried to explain.

"My brother, Brad, says that weird people like Aggie are just retar-" Matthew interrupted snidely. He didn't finish the word, though, because Edgar tackled him, punching him in the face. Lyle yelped, jumping back as the two tussled in the dirt, scratching and biting and punching.

"Hey!" Noah yelled, running up to break the two apart. "Break it up! What's going on, guys?"

"He's a wiener!" Matthew yelled, pointing dramatically at Edgar. "He doesn't know how to take a joke!"

"Matthew's a buttface!" Edgar growled, lunging again. Noah grabbed him by the wrists and slung him over his shoulder, walking him back up the shore to Alexis.

"Stay here. I'll talk to Matthew, okay?" Noah said, setting Edgar back on his feet. The five year old had a scratch on his cheek, bleeding badly enough that he'd probably need a Band-Aid. Alexis noticed he was shuddering, on the verge of tears.

"Come here, buddy. Let's go inside and let you clean up, okay?" she offered gently. He nodded weakly as she wrapped him in a towel and handed him a juice box.

* * *

Edgar sat in the living room, still crying. His face was bandaged up with a Superman Band-Aid, and he had changed into dry clothes, though his wet hair still stuck up in odd angles. Alexis had gone to take Jo and Aggie into town to give him some privacy while he talked to Kate.

"So Alexis told me that Noah had to break you and Matthew out of a fight," she said slowly, sitting beside him on the couch. "Care to explain why?"

"Matthew's a buttface," Edgar muttered.

"No name calling, okay?" she warned.

"Mama, he called names first. He made fun of Jo, and said she talked too much about dolls and you and daddy and other things nobody cared about," Edgar explained. He was on the verge of tears again, and he snuggled against Kate while she rubbed his back soothingly, trying to keep him calm.

"Is that all he said?" she asked when his shuddering died down. She could feel him shake his head, 'no.'

"He called Aggie that really bad word, the one you and daddy said to never use, ever," Edgar whispered weakly. Kate immediately knew which word he was talking about. While she knew it wasn't really all that bad of a word, and she herself said it as a young adult and teen, she absolutely abhorred the word. She knew Aggie was completely normal, aside from not talking, and she hated if anyone thought any differently and used that word to describe it. So, she and Rick decided to ban the word from their home. Nobody, not Alexis, or either of them, or any friends, relatives, or visitors, was allowed to say it within their loft.

"So you punched him," she said, more as a statement than as a question.

"I'm sorry, mama."

"It's okay, honey. I'm glad you stuck up for your sisters. But next time someone says mean things about either of them, tell me and daddy. We'll make sure it's okay, and you won't have to get hurt in the process," she replied coolly, stroking the bandage on his face.

"Yes, mama."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze. Kate and Aggie napped while Alexis, Jo, and Edgar played board games and watched movies. They snacked here and there on various treats, and Alexis went to swim laps in their pool. Jo called Rick to remind him to write, which he appreciated since he had spent the morning playing Guitar Hero on expert and pretending he was Gene Simmons. All in all, the Castles spent their second day at the Hamptons very lazily.

There were stories before bedtime, like always, and they slept comfortably again. The next morning, however, Kate was surprised to not be awoken by her children at the crack of dawn. In fact, it was almost noon by the time she got up. And when she did, she was surprised to find the blue and red flashing lights of police cars outside of her house. Wrapping herself up in a robe, she began down the stairs, seeing an officer talking to her children. Her kindergarten-aged children were being interrogated by a cop.

"Excuse me, what's going on?" she asked, barging into the conversation. She looked from the blank expression on the officer's face to the faces of her children. Jo and Edgar both looked petrified, and she could see Aggie in Alexis' arms outside, crying while Alexis tried to talk to a different cop.

"Ma'am, there was a body found on the beach behind your house this morning," the officer explained calmly.

"Mama," Edgar said, looking up at his mother with wide eyes, "Matthew's dead."

* * *

_**A/N: Dun dun dun. I feel like I should apologize for such a long chapter, but I don't really want to, because I feel like if you read this far, you must like it at least a little. So, yeah. Which Caskett Baby is your favorite? Sound off in the reviews! - Immac**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Castle's not mine, but I wish it was! Did you guys SEE the Christmas episode last night?! *heart explodes from the feels* - Immac**_

* * *

Kate blinked.

"What do you mean, Matthew's dead? We just saw him yesterday," she blinked. The officer dug out a photo of the little boy, dead on the beach. He was in the water, and there was no blood, but you'd have to be blind to not notice that there were giant purple bruises around his neck. He'd been strangled, very obviously so, probably by an adult.

"Now, ma'am, if you'll give me a moment to finish with your children, I'll get a statement from you and we'll be out of your hair," he continued.

"No," Kate said bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"No, you'll leave my kids alone. You can get a statement from my stepdaughter, or from me, or you don't get anything," she continued. "Jo, Edgar, go upstairs, okay? I'll be up in a minute. Calm down, everything is okay."

The children nodded and ran up the stairs.

"Ma'am, you realize your children are prime suspects?" the officer sputtered. "We need alibis from them!"

"First off, it's _detective._ Not ma'am. I'm Detective Kate Castle," she said. "Second, you do realize that they're little kids, don't you?"

"We're just covering our bases, detective. You understand, don't you?"

From a professional standpoint, she supposed she did. But as a mom, she sure as hell wanted her kids out of this mess. Just because their father wrote murder novels and their mother was a homicide detective didn't mean that they shouldn't have rose-colored glasses like all the other kids. However, since the officer appeared to be a twenty-something man, Kate didn't think he'd sympathize with her maternal instincts, so she just stared him down until he continued.

"Look, do you know where they were last night?"

"In bed. All night," she responded. "Why do you think my children had anything to do with this?"

"I have witnesses saying your son had a fight with my vic yesterday. Pretty bad, from what I heard," he said, his poker face still intact. As a fellow cop, she admired his ability to keep a straight face when talking to suspects, but as a suspect, it didn't make her feel like answering questions. It just pissed her off.

"What witness?" she asked. "The only people out there were my kids, Matthew, and the Winchesters. Nobody's out on our part of the beach."

"There was a man, who prefers to remain anonymous, walking his dog along the beach. He said he passed a couple of kids getting into a fight, bad enough for a grown man to need to break them apart."

"Edgar's five. He's a little boy. He didn't kill anyone," Kate stated.

"Detective, this is all routine. You know that."

"Why are you wasting time coming after us when you know it wasn't Edgar or any of us?" she asked, taking the photo from his hand. She turned it so she could get a better look, then placed her finger on Matthew's neck. "He was strangled. Those are finger prints, and based off of how large they are, I'd say they're a grown male's. Do you see any grown men in this house?"

"Did you hear anything last night?" the officer groaned, clearly fed up with how persistent Kate was. "Any screams or struggles?"

"No, I…" she paused. "Actually, yes. I was on the phone with my husband last night, and I remember hearing something outside. It didn't sound like screams, though. We were too far away. Where was he killed?"

"Halfway between here and Mr. Winchester's house."

Kate did the math in her head. It had taken Alexis about 10 minutes to walk there and back, so five minutes there. She tried to remember the ocean from when she and Rick had been here previously, but whenever they came together, they spent significantly less time walking on the beach than they would if they had kids with them. And they hadn't come with the kids in a while.

"I don't know if what I heard was Matthew or not," she admitted.

"We're going to be on the beach trying to find any DNA or shoe prints, so your kids can't go out there today. If you remember anything else, please contact me," he said, offering her a card. It read **BENJAMIN JACKSON**.

"You know, I think I'd feel more comfortable contacting Sheriff Brady," Kate murmured, accepting the card and shoving it into the pocket of her robe.

"Whatever floats your boat," Benjamin shrugged. "We'll be out of your hair as soon as your stepdaughter is done, or do you want to keep her away from us, too?"

Kate glared at him, not accepting his hand when he tried to shake hers, and kept staring evilly until he left the house.

Alexis and Aggie came in, and Kate took the crying toddler. Alexis looked exhausted, which was unusual, because she was every bit a morning person as her father.

"Is everything alright?" she asked Alexis as she rubbed Aggie's back, shushing her soothingly. "You look horrible."

"They came a few hours ago to do a sweep of the area. Aggie was scared of the people and cranky about being up early, and Jo and Edgar didn't know what was going on. I haven't been able to calm any of them down, and then they separated me from the others, and Aggie kept crying and-"

"It's okay. Why didn't you come get me?"

"Didn't want to wake you," Alexis mumbled.

"Alexis…?" Kate had a feeling that wasn't the real answer.

"I thought I could handle it on my own, but then Jo and Edgar woke up and brought Aggie with them and then I was too busy with the officers and keeping them calm, and we just couldn't get away to get you. You sleep really soundly, by the way."

"Yeah, I think it's the pregnancy. I have more vivid dreams, too," she said as they started up the stairs to find Jo and Edgar upstairs.

"Any last night?"

Kate paused, instantly filled with happiness as she recalled her dream. It had featured her and Rick, and it was the kind of dream she didn't want to wake up from, especially when she was out of town and he wasn't there, too.

"Nope, not really," she lied.

* * *

"Edgar, it's like we're in one of the Nikki Heat stories," Jo said, her head dangling off of the top bunk. He swished her hair back and forth underneath her, like a cat bats at string. "'Cept not the ones daddy tells us. One of the ones he wrote about mama, that we're not allowed to read."

"How do you know it's like that?" he asked.

"Because. Uncle Javi told me what it was about," she replied nonchalantly. "My point is, we could be like Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook, 'cept not dating. What if we solved the crime?"

"You're crazy," Edgar informed his sister.

"How am I crazy? I just wanna be like mama and daddy," Jo retorted with a pout. "You try to act like daddy all the time with that notebook of yours. What if you wrote a story with daddy about this? It's our first real adventure!"

"Mama says we're not supposed to go to crime scenes, though," Edgar countered.

"Mama also says we're supposed to clean our rooms or no dessert, but do we listen to that?" Jo rolled over so she could see Edgar better.

"I do."

"Well, I don't," she shrugged. "My point is that we're supposed to have adventures like they do. It's, like, in our blood, or something. How can we be as awesome as daddy and mama if we're always listening to what we're told?"

"If we listen, we don't end up dead like Matthew," Edgar muttered.

"Matthew was a giant poop-head, but he was still a kid like us. I think we owe it to him to find out who really killed him."

"We don't owe him nothing!" Edgar scoffed. "He said the really bad word about Aggie and made fun of you when you weren't there!"

"Yeah, but wouldn't you want _him_ to find _your_ killer if it were you out there?" she countered with an _I told you so_ smirk that she had most definitely inherited from her mother.

"You look like mama, Jo."

"Please, Edgar! Will you please go on an adventure with me?" Jo begged.

"Jo! Edgar! Are you two okay?" There was a knock on the door to their room. It was their mother. The children exchanged glances, sending a series of looks at each other that pretty much led to the implied conversation of:

"_Please?" _

"_No." _

"_Please?" _

"_No." _

"_Please?" _

"_I'll tell mama." _

"_I'll tell her you brought her badge to preschool without asking." _

"_We'll talk later."_

Following their facial dialogue, Edgar stuck his tongue out and Jo grinned triumphantly while he opened the door for Kate, Aggie, and Alexis.

"Hey, guys," Kate said, placing Aggie on the floor, where she grabbed her favorite stuffed animals and snuggled into them. "How are you feeling? I'm sorry this is so scary."

"Are Lyle and Noah gonna be okay?" Jo asked, sliding down the ladder until her bare feet slapped the hardwood floor.

"It'll be harder for them than it is for you two. They knew Matthew for years, not just a few days," Kate said gently. "But, yes, they'll be okay. They just need time. That's the only thing that makes things like this better."

Jo bit her lip, thinking about what would happen if her best friend from kindergarten, Lily Blaylock, had been found dead like Matthew. She supposed she'd need a lot of time to feel better about that, too. At that moment, she really just wanted to hug Lyle really tightly to let him know she cared.

"What do we do now?" Edgar asked.

"We might go home a little sooner than we planned," Kate said. "I don't know how I feel about there being a bad guy out there who already hurt one child. I'm not sure, though, because I want to talk to Sheriff Brady to make sure they'll catch the bad guy so that he doesn't hurt any more, and I might stay so I can help. Do you understand?"

"We understand," Edgar said.

"I'm going to go into town and talk to the sheriff. I don't think I really want you to go outside, not even to the pool, okay? Alexis mentioned finding her old copy of _Toy Story_, so you can stay inside and watch that. Today can be a lazy day," she continued.

Jo and Edgar exchanged glances again, a mutual agreement between the two that today wouldn't be just a lazy day.

* * *

"When can we go back outside?" Jo whined. "I wanna go look for seashells."

"And daddy told me about this cool metal detector. He said I could use it to find buried treasure!" Edgar added.

"You heard mama," Alexis said patiently as Aggie scolded her silently for playing dollies wrong. "You have to stay inside because there are bad guys. It's not like on TV. These bad guys are smarter than they are in the cartoons. They won't be stopped because you put marbles in front of them while they run."

"Yeah, but-"

"You're both staying inside," she said as Aggie adjusted the doll's dress. The doorbell rang and Alexis stood to answer it, turning back to her siblings. "Keep an eye on Aggie and don't go anywhere until I get back, okay?"

She got non-committal grunts in response.

Alexis opened the door and found on the other side Noah. In contrast to his beach attire from yesterday and the day before, he was now dressed normally, more like the rich young man he was than the surfer dude he clearly would rather be. His hair, lightened by sun exposure, was still messy, but in the fashionable way that everyone appeared to be doing nowadays. His tan was offset by a white tee and jeans that fit in all the right places. Alexis had to stop herself from mentally undressing him.

"Noah!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"You've heard about Matthew, haven't you?" he asked, his face more serious than she'd ever seen it before.

"Yeah," she said, clearing her throat and looking down. "We heard. How are you and Lyle?"

"We're fine. Lyle's in the car. He's torn up, and he's so scared."

"So are Edgar and Jo. I think Aggie doesn't know what's going on, but it's messing her up."

"Your stepmother's a cop, right?" he asked slowly, as if he were scared he were treading on dangerous grounds. Alexis furrowed her brows and pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. She's in town, talking to Sheriff Brady to see if he needs her help. Why?"

"I want to find the…" he paused, unsure of whether he should use the profanity he clearly wanted to use or not, before continuing, "person who did this. I wanted to see if she could help with anything."

"She said that Matthew was strangled, probably by a grown male because of the size of the finger marks left on the neck, and she mentioned something about calling her friend, Dr. Parish. Dr. Parish is the ME back home. But I don't know anything else. I'm sorry," Alexis explained.

"…How would you feel about a little Nancy Drew investigating?" he asked with a sly smirk. Her baby blue eyes went wide. "Come on, goody two shoes. We both wanna find whoever did it so that Matthew and his family get justice and our own siblings are safe. Besides, didn't you say yesterday that you used to intern at the ME's office? You know what you're doing! Even if we didn't solve it, we might at least find out something the cops haven't."

"I don't know…" she started. Alexis doubted her dad would be in favor of this idea, and if Kate came home and found them not there, she'd panic in a way that only a pregnant-cop-mom could.

"Come on. What's one little sweep of the beach going to hurt?" he asked, smirking slightly.

She looked into his eyes, those sparkling green eyes. They were so genuine, so comforting, that he could be telling her he was planning on slitting her throat and she'd be okay with that because at least he was honest. She knew he was the kind of guy who never completely grew up, and while she knew he wasn't as bad as her father, he was still a young man and could go off the deep end.

But Alexis really wanted to go with him.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "But you're being Nancy. I prefer Nikki Heat anway."

"You've got it, Nikki," he winked.

* * *

_**A/N: I've decided that I'm going to start exclusively doing these on Thursdays, meaning two days until chapter 4. And, because I promised, I love writing for Aggie. Jo has all of Beckett's sass, which is fun to write, and Edgar's fairly introverted, which is weird because he's Caskett's kid, but I like writing for someone who prefers not talking. Aggie makes me smile. :) - Immac**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Castle's not mine, but it's during hiatuses like this that I wish it was. Be warned, the following chapter is pretty much Alexis/Noah fluff and Jo/Edgar bickering. - Immac**_

* * *

When Alexis was little, there was a four year period spanning between her third and seventh birthdays when her father was unmarried. During that time, since she wasn't really in school yet and he was jumping at every opportunity to procrastinate at writing, even then, they spent a lot of time wandering the stretch of beach their Hamptons home was nestled against. They took metal detectors and buckets and shovels and, more often than not, ended up making up stories for the little things they discovered. They found old coins and pretended they were pirate doubloons, or bottle caps that Rick swore up and down were broken bits of UFOs. Some of her favorite beach memories were made when they just got bored and wandered the beach, and this time was no exception. The only difference was that now she was saddled with four little kids and Noah.

"I thought we weren't supposed to go outside because mama said so," Jo deadpanned.

"Well, we didn't listen," Alexis muttered.

"So if I suggest something, it's a 'no, listen to mama,' but if _he_," she glared at Noah, "suggests it, it's 'oh, sure, Noah! Anything for you, Noah!'"

"Jo?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

Edgar prodded his sister in the side. "Why are you so upset? At least we're outside and can look for clues."

"It's the particle of the thing, Edgar," she said in her know-it-all way. Jo really didn't remember daddy used in that phrase (she knew it was a big one and started with a P), and she really hoped Edgar didn't remember, either.

"You're weird," Edgar muttered.

"Come on, they're not focused on us," she whispered to him. Jo wrapped her left hand around his wrist and her right hand around Lyle's. Both boys seemed surprised by the contact but followed her as she ran them up to a little dune and leaped behind it to hide. Aggie, being carried by Alexis, was thankfully asleep. If she hadn't been, they would have been ratted out for sure, for the little girl always wanted to go where her brother and sister went.

"What're you doing, Jo?" Lyle whispered as they watched their siblings go off, oblivious to the fact that the children had even left.

"I heard mama talking to that cop guy," she whispered back, eyes narrowed and body low to the ground, so she looked like a lion stalking its prey. "She said that Matthew was…" Jo paused, skirting around the word, still too scared to bring herself to use it. "Halfway between our house and your house. This is about halfway, right?"

"I guess," Lyle shrugged.

"Then we start here!" Jo announced, glad that Alexis and Noah were now out of earshot.

* * *

"Miss Beckett," Sheriff Brady greeted Kate as she entered the station. "So lovely to see you again in our neck of the woods. What brings you out here?"

"Actually, it's Mrs. Castle, now," she said sheepishly, holding up her hand for him to see the wedding band. "I was up here with my kids for the week while Rick worked on his novel at home."

"Was?"

"The murder of that little boy… I'm considering going home early, but I want to make sure he gets justice," Kate admitted. "Matthew was friends with my children. I can't imagine what his parents must be feeling."

"I understand," the sheriff nodded. "We'd love your help if you'd be up for it, but if you want to go home or be with your family, we would understand completely."

"I think I'd like to discuss things with my husband before I decided on anything, but I'll call my guys and ask if they can provide background information on Matthew and the Winchesters for you guys."

"Thank you, Detective," Sheriff Brady nodded.

Before Kate had even left the police station, she was on the phone with Javier Esposito.

"Hey, Espo, I need your help and I'll let you borrow the Ferrari."

* * *

Alexis and Noah wandered in the same area of the beach for almost an hour, examining the stretch of land with a metaphorical fine-toothed comb. They were so engrossed in their investigation that they never even noticed that Lyle, Jo, and Edgar were gone. They just assumed they had stopped to play in the sand right behind them, and after they sat Aggie in the sand to rest, they began immediately on searching for something, anything, that could lead to Matthew's killer.

"So… last girlfriend ruined your family, huh?" Alexis murmured awkwardly when the silence between them had gone on for long enough.

"Random much?" Noah chuckled.

"Well, you told me everything about life since we saw each other last except that," she shrugged. "Besides, you stopped talking, so my conversation starters are fair game."

He rolled his eyes.

"What'd she do that was so terrible?" Alexis asked.

"Bella," he sighed. "Her name was Bella. She dated me for years, and I was seriously thinking about her being the one, you know?"

"Yeah," she sighed. She knew all too well what that feeling was like.

"Well, I bought the ring. I talked to her parents. I was ready to get on one knee, and I went to her place to propose… and I found my dad's car in the parking lot of her building. I saw him leaving her apartment with his hair being a mess and clothes all rumpled," Noah continued, trailing off in a way that she knew what he was trying to imply and that he didn't want to say it aloud. "I broke it off with Bella and my mom and dad called it quits, too. You know, my family has such a long line of being distinguished and rich and great citizens in New York. You'd think a scandal like this would ruin our lives, but no. My dad just pays everyone off to keep it quiet. Even after ruining my relationship and his marriage, I didn't even have the satisfaction of watching him be ripped apart by the tabloids."

Alexis was quiet. She hadn't ever had something like that happen. Mostly because it had always been her and her dad, and he was crazy devoted to Kate Beckett and disgusted by the idea of sleeping with someone the same age as Alexis.

"How about you?" he asked, jolting her from her thoughts. "What was the worst breakup you've ever had?"

"Trust me, none of them could compare to this Bella girl," Alexis chuckled. "You win when it comes to lousy ex's."

"Gee, thanks," he said with sarcasm oozing from his voice.

"Well, none of my boyfriends ever slept with my dad," she shrugged. He rolled his eyes, grinning just a little bit, and he punched her shoulder lightly.

"It's getting late," Alexis said, glancing at her cell phone's clock. "Kate will be home soon."

"Yeah. I don't think we're going to find anything the fuzz didn't," Noah admitted with defeat. "Lyle, ready to go, buddy?" he said, turning over his shoulder. They didn't hear anything. Freezing, both adults stood and turned, finding only Aggie, still resting on a shady dune.

"Jo? Edgar?" Alexis called, pivoting around for a better view. She didn't see Jo's tomboyish ponytail, or Edgar's familiar figure crouched over something he was jotting down in his notebook. "Edgar! Jo!"

"Lyle! Where are you, bro?" Noah yelled.

Alexis turned and looked at Noah with her blue eyes wide.

"We lost the kids," she whispered in disbelief.

* * *

"Found something!" Jo called from her little designated area. She had been sifting through the sand for the better part of an hour, and she finally found something that would be helpful. It was a little scrap of some sort of cloth, and it felt almost exactly like the fabric used in swim trunks. Plus, the scrap had the same coloration as the green ones Matthew had been wearing yesterday.

"What's that?" Edgar asked, running up to her with Lyle behind him.

"Looks like swim trunks," Lyle observed.

"Matthew's were green like this one, too!" Jo nodded eagerly. "Maybe this was where it… you know, happened…"

The Castles pivoted around on instinct, remembering their parents' stories of crime scenes and how you should always see if someone could have watched where the murder happened. Unfortunately, there weren't any houses, due to the very large gap between the Castle home and the Winchester home. But, they were happy to see a large green hill, like the one separating their house from the ocean, with a sidewalk cutting through it. And, even better, they saw a man jogging by with a little yippy Chihuahua.

"Let's go talk to him!" Jo said, pointing. She stood and took half a step before Edgar and Lyle each grabbed one of her arms, pulling her back. "What's the big idea?" she scoffed.

"Mama said not to talk to strangers," Edgar said.

"Goody two-shoes," she snorted before shaking her limbs free and sprinting off before they could stop her. "Sir! Mister person! Hey, I need to talk to you!"

* * *

"Kate is going to kill me!" Alexis said, running a hand through her red hair. "She's literally going to kill me!"

"Calm down," Noah said, just as much for her benefit as for his own, "we'll find them. They're probably just off in the sand playing."

"Yeah, where a psycho could find them and strangle them. Oh, god, my dad…" she moaned, thinking of his reaction.

"Come on, grab your sister and we'll go back the way we came and see if they're along the way, okay?" he offered, grasping her hand comfortingly. When she hesitated, he pressed her hand to his lips like he had the other night. "Do you trust me?" he asked her after pulling away.

"Yes," she admitted. Then, Alexis scampered up the beach and grabbed the toddler as she started to wake up. "Hey, Ag. Come on, we are going to play a game. It's called 'Find the Brother and Sister so Mama Won't Kill Us.' If you see Edgar or Jo, I want you to let me know, okay?"

* * *

"Hi, my name's Jo Castle," Jo said as she bounded up to the man. He was balding and had a pot belly, and his face was all scrunched up like someone had gotten shampoo in his eyes, and his little dog didn't make him seem less like a wienie in her eyes. In fact, she thought he looked almost exactly like what the cross between a weasel and a baby pig would look like.

"Not now, kid," he muttered. She grabbed his wrist. "Leave me alone, would you?"

"I just had a quick question," Jo said determinedly. "If you help me, I can ask my daddy to write you into his latest book. He's Richard Castle, the writer. Please, mister?" She put on her best puppy dog face, one that said that she was genuinely wanting something without coming across cheesy and irritating.

"Richard Castle, eh?" he mused. He pondered this for a second before locking his dog's leash. "Snookums, come here, boy. You have a 2 minutes, kid."

"Do you run by here every day?" she asked.

"Yeah. I live here. This is the best place to run in peace and quiet," he said. "Why?"

"Do you ever run by at nighttime?"

"Not always. I did last night, though."

"Did you happen to see a little boy and, like, a grown up on the beach?" she asked.

"Is this about that kid who was strangled last night? I already told the cops that I didn't see anything," he said.

"Uh, no. It's a different little boy and grown up," she lied. Jo was a terrible liar, though, a habit she didn't get from either of her parents.

"Look, I didn't see anything. I heard him scream, and I called the cops, but that's all I got," the man said. "Now, can you hurry up, little girl? Snookums is getting anxious, and when he gets anxious, he gets bitey." As if on cue, the little dog bared its teeth and growled at her, making Jo take a step back.

"Uh, yes. Well, I'll be going now, 'kay bye!" she said as she ran back down the hill.

"Remember to tell Richard Castle about me!"

* * *

Aggie, who was now walking while holding Alexis's hand, tugged on her sister. She pointed at the hill as Jo was running down, stumbling awkwardly, towards Edgar and Lyle, who waited at the base. Scooping the toddler up, Alexis and Noah ran towards them, immediately checking to make sure they were okay.

"Hi, Alexis," Jo started awkwardly.

"Jo, where were you guys?" Alexis asked.

"Does it matter? Shouldn't mama be back soon?" Edgar asked, averting attention from Jo.

"Oh, right," Alexis blinked, suddenly remembering. "Noah, I'll message you online later! We gotta go!"

The children ran back to their house, hoping on their lives that there was traffic or something and that Kate wasn't already home. And, this time, Alexis made sure Jo and Edgar stayed in front of her so she could see them. They neared the pathway leading from the beach to their pool, and they turned sharply, Edgar slipping and cutting his leg on the gravel.

"Hey, buddy, it'll be okay. I'll get you another Band-Aid when we get in the house, but we have to keep running," Alexis said, helping him to his feet. She grimaced at all of the blood, knowing it would be hard to think up a lie for that one. There was no way Kate wouldn't notice it when helping him take a bath.

He wiped a tear off his cheek, then continued, limping only slightly. Alexis nearly cursed when she got to the top of the hill and saw a car pulling into the driveway. They slipped in through the back door as quietly as possible, and hoped that maybe Kate would take a long time leaving her vehicle.

"Clean Aggie," she instructed Jo. "She's got sand all over her back."

While Jo swatted the sand off of the toddler's back, Alexis picked up Edgar and placed him on the counter, grabbing a paper towel and soaking it with soapy water before dabbing it on his leg. When the blood and gravel was gone, she applied anti-bacterial cream to it and bandaged it up, bending over to give it a kiss. She wiped his tears away and ruffled his hair lovingly.

The door swung open, and the kids ran from the kitchen to the living room, halfway through the name 'mama' before they stopped in confusion, then continued running, jumping onto the figure. Alexis, a half step behind the mass of children, jumped from the surprise.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

* * *

_**A/N: And Rick's here. It's a Castle party! I'm sorry this chapter didn't have very much story to it, but now the full Castle clan is together and Caskett can work the case alongside their kids (and Noah). Next chapter will be a little less fluff-tacular, and it will have Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, and all the fun little precinct stuff that comes with them. :) Please review, I love hearing from you guys! Until next week! - Immac**_


End file.
